Camarillo council opposes auction of Navy radio frequency

The Camarillo City Council agreed this week to send letters to legislators urging them to stop the auction of a radio frequency spectrum used by Naval Base Ventura County.

A small portion of the 1755-1850 MHz radio frequency is used by naval air systems nationwide and the Defense Department to test missiles, monitor missile launches from foreign nations, test weapon systems and provide command and control for satellites. The broadband spectrum has been consumed by mobile and electronic devices.

In March, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration suggested selling off the Navy’s frequency and using it for commercial broadband. Since then, major telecommunications companies have expressed interest in the move, according to a letter drafted by the Regional Defense Partnership for the 21st Century, a coalition supporting Naval Base Ventura County.

Council members Wednesday agreed with the group that sharing the spectrum would greatly affect the Defense Department’s ability to respond to threats and conduct operations. Councilman Mike Morgan called the proposal “dangerous.”

“When they want to do testing or an operation ... if you’re incorrect, you can have planes running into each other. You can have all kinds of things happening if you don’t have the right communication,” Morgan said.

Mayor Charlotte Craven said: “I am prepared to start a nationwide grass-roots campaign with all of the other community-based military base support groups. I’d like to get out and start talking with them within a week or two. Get signatures and try to get a groundswell of opposition to it.”

The cities of Ventura and Thousand Oaks and the Ventura County Board of Supervisors have endorsed sending the letters. More cities in the county were expected to discuss the issue in the upcoming weeks.